Hu Manni’s sob seemed to infect the others, and one by one, they began to strike with their cold weapons—
A water ghost was an almost invincible existence in the water; as long as one was dragged down, it was certain death.
But once these things came ashore...
They were, at most, just disgusting to look at.
Lyu Dongfang held a sharpened machete, swinging it with a ferocious whistle. Liu Guansheng held a golden melon mace in each hand, smashing them down on the water ghosts' heads with heavy thuds, as if he were cracking open watermelons:
“Crunch!!”
“Thud!”
“Crack!”
The others were not to be outdone, suppressing their disgust and fear to go on a killing spree. For a time, the only sound on the bank was the tooth-aching muffled thuds of cold weapons colliding with human bone.
“Er-wa...”
“Stranded on the beach, I met a vicious dog... the weak are prey for the hound's meal. Had I known I would die in a dog's mouth! I regret traveling so far to worship the Buddha, wa-wa...”
The Qin Opera in the background remained high-pitched, though the lyrics had changed to those of Qin Xianglian from 《The Case of Chen Shimei》. Accompanied by the chilly night wind, the stench of corpses at the tip of their noses grew even more intense.
Before long, the ground along the bank was piled high with the corpses of water ghosts. Logistics personnel in protective suits immediately stepped forward to destroy the remains using high-temperature incineration.
The number of corpses in the center of the river was still increasing, but these water ghosts seemed to possess some intelligence. They only dared to drift in the water from a distance, their black hair bobbing up and down with the current like clumps of aquatic weeds.
This is good.
After tonight, the number of weirds encroaching on and disturbing the local residents should decrease significantly.
Standing before the fire line, Qin Yue let out a faint sigh of relief. Her gaze habitually shifted toward the willow tree on the bank, but she did not see that familiar cyan figure.
Where did Ma Guniang go?!
...
...
There really was something strange at the bottom of this section of the Yellow River.
Thirty kilometers away, beneath the surface of the Yellow River.
Nan Zhi was submerged in the center of the river, frowning as she stared at a black grotto that was practically “spewing” corpses outward.
The Azure Sea Sky Garment set isolated her from the river water; to an outsider, she would look as if she were encased in a transparent film.
Nan Zhi had noticed it during the day.
There were faint traces of ghostly energy left by demonized corpses on this stretch of the riverbank. Those traces led from the shore to the center of the river, where they vanished.
Where there is a presence, there must be a trace.
With so many demon beasts, where were they getting their food?
If they were devouring the fish and shrimp in the river, then this area should have been like Mulian Lake—devoid of life. However, the water here flowed year-round; it wasn't a case of stagnant water.
Unless these demon beasts were being attracted from somewhere else.
This, combined with the demonized aquatic beasts that had inexplicably appeared in the river as if they were part of a group suicide mission, confirmed Nan Zhi's suspicions.
She followed the flow of the water ghost corpses and, sure enough, found a strange grotto in the mud at the deepest part of the riverbed.
It was a massive, circular grotto roughly five meters in diameter. It was unclear where it led, but the pitch-black opening looked like the gaping maw of a colossal beast, waiting for prey to take the bait.
One water ghost after another scrambled to dive into the grotto, stirring up the current.
“Whoosh, whoosh... glub, glub...”
“Glub, glub, glub—”
A string of bubbles surged from the grotto as if something on the other side was letting out low, muffled growls. A faint, ethereal fragrance drifted out with the current.
It was a scent difficult to describe—delicate, like the cosmetic powder used by women, yet also like the aroma of fermented meat. It was soul-hooking and spirit-snatching.
“This scent... it feels like I've smelled it somewhere before.”
Nan Zhi’s nose twitched, and she unconsciously swallowed hard.
“I really do have an affinity for water. First it was Mulian Lake in Xixiang, and now it's the Yellow River...”
Water ghosts were piled up at the edge of the grotto, surging forward like slippery fish. She could even see countless tiny water snakes squeezing inside frantically.
Normally, demonized aquatic beasts would have their own fixed territories, much like how predators use urine to mark their grounds; they wouldn't easily leave an area.
It was likely this fragrance that had attracted them from other reaches of the Yellow River.
What was inside the grotto?
Where did it lead?
Was there an end to it? Was the other side an opportunity or a danger?
Nan Zhi did not know.
She stood in the water and contemplated for only a few breaths before floating back toward the surface. She used the Water Shield Art to wrap several large spheres of air, using the water as tethers to bind them to her wrists, then plunged back down toward the grotto with a burst of determination.
...
...
“Are you sure you saw Senior Ma go into the water?”
Qin Yue frowned, slowing her speech as she asked again, “Are you certain you saw Senior Ma enter the Yellow River with your own eyes?”
“Of course I’m sure. My grandfather has been taking me to the banks of the Yellow River since I was a kid to train my eyes by watching cormorants. Even if you threw a sheet of paper onto the Yellow River, I could see it from seven or eight hundred meters away.”
Liu Guansheng wiped the sweat from his face and said with certainty:
“She definitely went in. But her movements were too fast—just a flash. I was actually going to call out to her just now—”
He was just afraid of being thrown back in to be used as bait again.
Thinking of this, Liu Guansheng felt strangely guilty and looked toward the mountain of monster corpses piled on the bank.
“Senior Ma must have discovered something wrong before she left.”
Qin Yue immediately gestured for people to search the upstream and downstream sections of this part of the Yellow River, ordering them to report back immediately if they found anything unusual.
“Assign people to patrol and investigate upstream and downstream twenty-four hours a day. Once Senior Ma is spotted, be ready to assist at any time.”
The members of the Special Investigation Bureau in black uniforms received their orders and left. Lyu Dongfang and Hu Manni, who were standing some distance away, peeked over as if they had something to say.
Qin Yue was somewhat irritable, but she still signaled for them to approach. The two cousins followed her, and before she could speak, Hu Manni spoke up to comfort her:
“Don’t worry. If it’s... if it’s that person... she will definitely be fine.”
Qin Yue snapped her head up, her scrutinizing gaze falling on Hu Manni. Recalling Hu Manni’s background, she immediately understood.
A portion of the intelligence the authorities had gathered regarding Ma Guniang came from the Hu family. With Hu Manni’s status, it wasn't surprising that she knew of Ma Guniang’s existence.
—Despite the Hu family’s many attempts to conceal it, even using Hu Ban'er’s “heavy injury” as a smokescreen, the fact that the Hu family had left the most outstanding fox immortal of this generation in Xixiang was no secret to the authorities.
“I hope so.”
Qin Yue looked at the Yellow River, feeling somewhat melancholy.
Did Ma Guniang leave without saying goodbye because she felt Qin Yue wasn't yet qualified to be a true demon suppressor?
Her leather boots crunched on the pebbles. The short-haired woman’s eyes burned with resolve as she spoke with conviction:
“The exam is over. All candidates, please prepare for the third round of the trial.”
If the mountain will not come to me, I must go to the mountain.
She would surely reach that height, stand by that person’s side, and fight alongside her.
...
...
Nan Zhi knew nothing of the outside world.
Naturally, she didn't know that her departure without a word had only made Qin Yue’s heart for cultivation and the Dao even more steadfast.
She continued to explore forward along the grotto.
This grotto was truly unfathomable. The further she explored, the wider it became and the higher the water level rose. Moreover, it was clear that the direction of the entire grotto was steadily extending downward.
Rate on N.U.
